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HP Byron Nelson interview: Scott Piercy

SCOTT PIERCY: Usually try to get the short ones going in first and not the long ones, and for some reason today I made a bunch of long ones, and I needed it. It was hard to get the ball close to the hole with the wedges in your hand, and it's hard to aim it off the green and 15, 20 mile‑an‑hour winds to bring it back. I was fortunate to make some long ones.

Q. Scoring conditions I thought were more difficult today than Thursday and Friday because of the wind, a little fickle, dropping down sometimes and blowing hard. How do you maintain your focus?

SCOTT PIERCY: You just got to put it somewhere on the fairway, and the greens are rolling smooth and 10 was a perfect example. I drove it into the fairway, I got the ball at my feet with a wedge in my hands and I have no chance of getting it close and having to make a 40‑footer. Crazy game. I had two good shots from 40 feet.

Q. Four down, you're right there, and with the wind expected to blow 30, 35 tomorrow, four shots down is nothing.

SCOTT PIERCY: Thanks.

Q. Was it the play that did it for you on the back nine?

SCOTT PIERCY: Yeah, I made long putts. It was hard to get the ball close, and luckily I was rolling it well, had good speed.

Q. Looked like the breeze was up out there today. How tough was it?

SCOTT PIERCY: It was playing tough, it was blowing 15, 20 miles an hour. From 170 I was hitting five‑iron and normally I hit a 5‑iron about 200 yards, and the wind is definitely up, and if it starts getting baked out it will be tough tomorrow.

Q. Is this a golf course that you can be aggressive on at the moment, four back, can you be aggressive?

SCOTT PIERCY: In spots. It's more defense on this golf course than offense, and you can make a lot of bogeys, and it doesn't give you a lot of birdies because you have awkward lies in the fairways with cross winds and pins that are tucked. It's hard to get the ball close. You have to do what I did today, make some long ones.

Q. Good luck tomorrow.

SCOTT PIERCY: Thanks.

Q. What do you think of the course today?

SCOTT PIERCY: I told my caddy after we made the turn that I want to try and get in the final group and low and behold, there I am, thanks to a few long putts. Hanging tough.

Q. How difficult was this course playing and how much was patience a big part of it?

SCOTT PIERCY: Patience was a huge part of this golf course and it was playing tough, two‑, three‑club winds, some points, cross winds, hard to get the ball close to the hole.

Q. Have you ever had a nine‑hole stretch where you putted like that?

SCOTT PIERCY: I haven't thought about it. Each shot is so hard out there. One time you're hitting a wedge from 175 and next a 5‑iron from 175. Just trying to get‑‑ I know I made some long ones but I like to putt like that a lot. Hopefully it keeps up.

Q. You said you were happy that you were giving yourself a chance for Sunday. What are you looking forward to?

SCOTT PIERCY: Being in contention. Haven't been there for a couple of months.
I haven't played well for a couple of months, so it was nice to take the turn and hopefully go out there and win tomorrow.

Q. When is the last time you dropped two 45‑footers in the same round?

SCOTT PIERCY: Not often enough.

Q. Do you remember the last time that you had a couple of long ones like that?

SCOTT PIERCY: Honestly the last time was in Reno when I won there on Saturday. It's not often you make a couple of long ones. Generally you start out‑‑ when the putter starts going you start making the short ones first. It's hard to hit it close at this golf course with this wind and these conditions, so you have to put it on the green and putt well. Today my long putts went in.

Q. Is there something you found in your putting that helped you?

SCOTT PIERCY: Not really, been working on it, so hard work paying off.

Q. What does it mean to be in contention?

SCOTT PIERCY: That's what we play for. We play to win. My ball striking hasn't been at a point where‑‑ to be in contention so I think the ball striking is starting to come around, looks like the putter warmed up a little bit and going to play steady golf tomorrow and take my birdies where I can get 'em and eliminate the bad stuff. If Keegan doesn't run away and hide I might have a chance.

Q. You almost have to hope that he doesn't play well tomorrow.

SCOTT PIERCY: Yeah, he's a world‑class player and he's playing good. He will probably continue to play good. This golf course has a lot of bogeys on it. Like I said, you play a lot of defense here.

You take the offense when you can get it and if the wind is going to be up as much as they say it's going to be, there is going to be a lot of defense. So a couple under tomorrow could go a long ways.